Locating points of entry of water into boreholes



Nov. 30, 1943. D. G. c. HARE LOGATING POINT OF' ENTRY OF WATER INTO BORE HOLES Filed Aug. v29, 1941 R E w D u R f/ f /f,fffffnf/f,/a///ff/ //4////////////,///001040014000/I |Fr |r IIbVV///////////////////////////// if, I -I|I 3. m wa a .Z Uff f f f ,//f f. ./f f f/4f r//f/, M r/f/ /f/v ,A 2 8 y M mf w 4. 4. 4.. f/ IT m D m u n mwm W R ,of//fzza/,@Q%@%,4, 2 a m ...Im

f?. www

ORNE YS Patented Nov. 30, 1943 LocA'nNG roIN'rs oF ENTRY or WATER m'ro noaEnoLss 4 Donald G. C. Hare, Houston, Tex., assigner, by mesne assignments, to The Texas. Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware AliplicationAugust 29, 1941, Serial No. 408,835 9 Claims. (CL. Z50-83.6)

This invention relatesto a method of examining the earth formations traversed by a bore hole and more particularly to a method of locating the point or points in such a bore hole where connate iiuids are entering the hole. The principal object of the invention is the provision of such a method by means of which the point where water is entering a bore hole may be quickly and accurately determined without the necessity of expensive equipment.

The ordinary methods of lowering an instrument through a bore hole, while in many cases satisfactory for identifying the strata through which the hole has been drilled, tend to disturb the uid in the hole to such an extent as to make it impossible to determine accurately the Aposition of entry of any uid coming into the bore hole from the strata. The hole is usually full or at least partly full of huid which may be a` mixture of drilling mud, oil and water andthe lowering of any device through the fluid agitates the latter so thatfany determination made in locating the point of water entry might be inaccurate to the extent of several feet.

In accordance with the present invention an elongated container such as a length of tubing or casing closed at. both ends is lowered into the hole to a point approximately opposite the supposed water sand or formation from which the Water is entering the hole. The container is then held stationary until the uids in the hole have reached a condition of equilibrium at whichtime an instrument in the container capable of detecting the presence of water is caused tomove vertically through the container. The instrument is preferably connected electrically with a record-Y ing device at the surface and thus. after the instrument has passed through .the container from one end to the other, a record will be had which will indicate the point where the water enters 'the hole. Means are also associated with the container and the linstrument therein tor indicating on the record the position of the instrument with respect to the container.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawa bore hole illustrating a modification.

Referring to the drawing, a bore hole shown as having been drilled through various` formations including a-water sand I2, the exact location of which it isdesired to ascertain. An elongated container I4 which may be a section of pipe closed at both ends is adapted to be lowered into the hole by means of a suitable wire line or cable I6 to a position at or near the location of the entrance ofthe fluid from the formation I2. Within the container I4 there is a housing I8 in which is disposed a source 20 of penetrative radiation such as fast neutrons and also within the housing I8 is a device 22 such as a boron-tri-iiuoride ionization chamber suitable for the detection of slow neutrons. of a suitable material such as cadmium or boron is interposed between the source and the detector ness, a container formed of a 30 foot length of casing should be satisfactory. Obviously the container may, if desired, be considerably longer than this and may be formed of several lengths of casing fastened together to form one elongated chamber.

Various arrangements may be made for lowering the housing I8 through the container I4 and, as an'example, a device 26 which may contain a clockwork mechanism or a small electric motor, is provided with a pulley 28 about which is wound a wire cable 30 from which the housing I8 is suspended. The cable I8 contains a pair of wires connected to the detector 22 and also connected through the device' 26 to leads 32 passing upwardly through the cable I6 to a suitable recorder 34 at the surface. Disposed within the wall of the container I4 are a plurality of annular members or rings 36 formed of a material such as cadmium which has a strong absorbing power for slow neutrons. The rings 36 are preferably disposed uniformly throughout the length of the container I4 and serve as markers or identification points as will be explained hereinafter.

In the operation of this form of the invention the container I4 with the housing I8 suspended in its upper portion is lowered in the hole I0 to which has had added to it a small amount 4of a substance which has the property of strongly ab- Ill is sorbing slow neutrons. As such a substance a -A' shield 24 solution of borax would be satisfactory and a cadmium salt would alsobesuitable. The container I4 is then held motionless in the hole and the hydrostatic pressure on the connate fluid relieved by removing a portion of the drilling fluidA 5 by bailing or otherwise after .which time is allowed for the fluid to come to a new state of equilibrium. The measuring unit comprising the source of radiation 20, the detector 22 and the housing I8 is then caused to move downwardly through the interior of the container I4. As already stated, the device 26 may include a clockwork or other mechanism which may be previously set at the surface to release the pulley 28 at a predetermined time, thereby allowing the measuringunit to descend within the container. Any other suitable device may be used for lowering the housing within the container. For instance, the housing may be released by clock work or other means and the housing allowed to settle downwardly through a viscous fiuid in the container. As was stated previously, the device 26 '4 may includevan electric motor which may be energized when desired to lower or to raise the measuring unit within the casing. The measuring unit may also be designed so as to fit closely in a piston-like fashion within the container and vat the desired time a valve in the bottom of the container may be caused to open with the result that the drilling fluid, being under a high hydrostatic pressure, will flow into the container and drive the measuring lunit upwards. This would, of course, compress the air above the measuring unit but the hydrostatic pressures commonly encountered are high enough to force this air into a very small volume;l thus allowing an adequate travel of the measuring unit.

It may be desirable at times to lower the instrument on an ordinary cable, such as a wire or sand line, which does not provide suitable electrical conductors for transmitting signals to the surface. In this case the instrument would be so designed as to allow the making of a record within the container which. has. been lowered into the bore hole, which record could be removed and examined on bringing the container to the surface. The point of entry of the connate fluid would then be determined from a knowledge of the depth to whichthe container had been lowered and the examination of the fiduciary marks placed upon the record as will be described.

The fast neutrons emitted by the sourcel 20 are slowed down due to collisions with the hydrogen I nuclei of the surrounding fluids. The slow neube absorbed by the cadmium. The record of the response of the detector as a function of its position within the container I4 can be made' photographically or otherwise by means of the recorder 3,4. (A sample'of a typical record is shown in Fig. 2 in which 38 is a section of photographic film or sensitized paper. The breaks A in the curve 40 indicate the decrease in intensity of the neutrons due to the cadmium rings 36, whereas 10 the sharp break B indicates an increase in the number of neutrons arriving at the detector 22 as a result of dilution of the well fluid by means of the entry of the water.

In another' method of locating the point of entry of the water, a small quantity of a radioactive substance such as carnotite ore can be placed in the drilling uid and the neutron source fmay then be dispensed with an instead of the slow neutron detector 22, a detector 20 suitable for the detection of gamma rays can be fluid can be used without the addition of any foreign substance, whereby the natural radioactivity ofthe drilling fluid, would be detected and recorded. The connate waters entering 'the bore hole will have a different radioactivity than that of the drilling fluid and the resulting record will indicate the position of the water entry as has already been described.

In Fig. 3 a modification is illustrated in which a drill stem or string of tubing 42 is placed in 4@ the hole Illa, a measuring unit 44 containing a.

radiation detector 46 then being lowered through the tubing after the fluids in the hole around the tubing string have reached a condition of equilibrium. The detector 46 connected to the re. 4:, corder 34a by means of electric cable 48 will then indicatefa variation in the natural radioactivity of the surrounding fluids when the measuring unit is lowered adjacent the water sand I 2a. Of course, the unit 4 4 could be formed substan- 50 Atially as is shown in Fig. 1 with a source of radi.-

ation in addition to the detector 46 and a measurement made of the variations in the amount of slow neutrons as the unit passes through the tubing string. In the method shown in Fig. 3

the tubing 42 may be provided with markers similar to the rings 36 of Fig, 1 .or a record may be kept of the depth of the unit 44 by means of a suitable line measuring device at the surface.

It is understood that if the resulting record 38 tector 22. However. as the measuring unit moves. ,does not intidicate a break in the curve signialong within the container I4 and comes adja. fying the point of water entry, the container may cent a water formation such as is shown in I2,\` be repositioned within the hole until some porfrom which water is coming into the hole, the f tion of it is opposite the water sand, and the bedrillinguid ng diluted by this water does not i'oreA described operation repeated to locate the contain in ls cient concentration substances exact point of water entry.

which will strongly absorb the slow neutrons.

Obviously many-modifications and variations Thus, the number of slow neutrons arriving at the detector 22 will sharply increase' when the detector has reached a point opposite the forof the invention, as hereinbefore set forth, may

be made without departing from the spirit and -scopethereof, and, therefore, 'only such limimation I2 from which ,the water is flowing into 7o tations should be imposed as are indicatedv in the the hole. Y

When the detector 22 passes those points in the container I4 opposite the cadmium bands or rings 36, there will be little if any response in the detector since most of the slow neutrons will 76 appended claims.

Iclaim: 1 1. The method of locating the point of entry of connate fluids linto a bore hole which comprises `placing an elongated lcylindrical -member in the hole so that it will be surrounded by the nuids in the hole, reducing the pressure on the fluids in the hole, permitting the fluids surrounding the cylindrical member to reach equilibrium, moving a device capable of detecting natural radiation vertically Within said cylindrical member and noting the position of the device when a sudden increase or decrease diation is observed.

2. The method of locating the point of entry of connate iluids into a bore hole containing a drilling fluid which comprises forming a vertical chamber within said hole, replacing said drilling fluid with a uid containing a small amount of a radiactive substance, reducing the pressure on the fluids then in the hole, lowering a -radation detector through said chamber, and observing variations in theamount of radiation detected as said source and detector pass through the length of said chamber.

3. The method of locating the point of entry of connate fluids into a bore hole containing a drilling fluid which comprises forming a vertical chamber Within said hole at approximately the location of said point of entry, replacing said drilling ud with a fluid containing a small percentage of ,a radioactive substance, reducing the pressure on the latter uid, allowing the uid Ato reach a state of equilibrium, and detecting within and throughout the length of said chamber the radioactivity of said drilling fluid.

4. The method of locating the point of entry in the detected ra- 'l in the number of slow neutrons detected as sf of connate fluids into a bore hole containing a drilling uid which comprises forming a vertical chamber within said hole at approximately the location of said point of entry, replacing said drilling uid with a uid containing a small amount of a substance having the property of strongly absorbing slow neutrons, decreasing the pressure on the last mentioned fluid, lowering a source of fast neutrons and a detector of neutrons through said chamber and noting variations in the number of slow neutrons scattered in the last mentioned fluid and in the formations sur' rounding the hole and returned to the detector.

5. The method of locating the point of entry of water into a bore hole containing a drilling fluid which comprises forming a vertical chamber within said hole at approximately the location of said point of entry, replacing said drilling uid with a fluid containing a small percentage of a borax solution, reducing the pressure on the last mentioned uid, lowering a source of fast neutrons and a detector of slow neutro: through said chamber and noting variations i the number of slow neutrons scattered in tl last mentioned fluid and returned to the detecto 6. The method of locating the point of ent: of connate fluids into a bore hole containing drilling uidwhich comprises forming a vertic chamber within said hole at approximately tl location of said point of entry so that the chan ber will be surrounded by the drilling fluid, redu` ing the pressure on said drilling fluid, allowix the uid in the hole to reach a vstate of equilii rium, and detecting within and throughout tl length of said chamber the radioactivity of tl strata surrounding the hole while observing predetermined intervals the position of the d tecting means within the chamber.

7. The method of locating the point of ent of connate uids into a bore hole containing drilling fluid which comprises forming a vertic chamber, within said hole at approximately t1 location of said point of entry, replacing sa drilling fluid with a uid containing a sm: amount of a substance having the property strongly absorbing slow neutrons, reducing t pressure on the last mentioned uid, lowering source of fast neutrons and a detector of sil neutrons through said chamber, noting wh said source and detector pass predetermin points in said chamber and observing variatie source and detector pass through the length said chamber.

8. The method of locating the point'of eni of connate uids into a bore hole which coi prises lowering an elongated vertical chaml within the hole to a point opposite the suppo: entry of said fluids, reducing the pressure the iiuids within the'hole, and detecting .witl and throughout the length of said chamber 1 radioactivity of the formations opposite i y chamber.

9. The method of locating the point of enI of connate' fluids into a. bore hole which co` prises forming an elongated vertical chaml within the hole at the depth of theV suppo: entry of said fluids, reducing'the pressure oni fluids within the hole, lowering a source of f neutrons and a detector'of neutrons through s chamber and noting the variations in the num of neutrons scattered back to the detector by formations surrounding the hole.

- DONALD G. C. HARE 

